SHILLONG, July 11: When cries for help rose from a narrow well at Dongmadan Lane 4, Lapalang, on Friday evening, two brothers did not pause to ask who needed saving. Sunil Thakuri (34) and Umesh Thakuri (30) simply climbed down into the darkness to rescue three trapped labourers. Neither knew the well had filled with poisonous gas. Within minutes, both brothers were dead.
Their selfless act turned them into two of the five victims of the tragedy.
The brothers, who lived just metres away in Nongrah, did not know the workers. They heard people shouting and rushed to help. Sunil was the family’s main support — he had already lost his wife and left behind two young children, elderly parents and a younger brother. Umesh, also a key earner, supported the same household.
Their landlady, Asenla Nongrum, president of Seng Longkmie Nongrah, witnessed the heartbreaking sequence of events.
“It was around 7.40 pm. We were watching television when we heard people shouting outside,” she said. “I came out and saw a man asking for help. He said three of his co-workers were trapped inside the well.”
Nongrum immediately called everyone in her compound to rush to the spot. The only labourer who had managed to escape was in shock and could not explain what had happened.
Without waiting, Sunil climbed into the well.
“We did not know there was poisonous gas inside,” Nongrum recalled. Sunil managed to tie one trapped man and called his younger brother Umesh for help. Before descending, Umesh handed Nongrum his mobile phone and wallet, saying, “Aunty, please keep my mobile and wallet.” She even asked him to remove his slippers so he would not slip.
People outside then heard Sunil calling Umesh’s name three times. After that, there was complete silence. Moments later, Umesh called out to Sunil three times. Then his voice too fell silent.
“That was when I realised something was wrong,” Nongrum said. “Five people were inside the well, but no one was responding. I told everyone not to go down.”
She immediately alerted the Rynjah Police Station, the DC and Fire and Emergency Services. The first police team could not enter because they lacked rescue equipment. The State Rescue Team (SRT) and State Disaster Response Force (SDRF) arrived only after about two-and-a-half hours.
“By then it was too late,” she said.
The younger brother, Umesh, died within minutes of being brought out. Doctors restored Sunil’s pulse briefly through CPR, but he died before reaching NEIGRIHMS.
Nongrum said the brothers were the family’s biggest support. “They looked after their aged parents, their younger brother and Sunil’s two small children. Now who will take care of them?” she asked.
She also questioned the working conditions. The well is about 35 feet deep but only around three feet wide. “I don’t understand how people could work inside such a narrow space,” she said, adding that the apartment owner had initially claimed it was only 25 feet deep.
The brothers’ courage will be remembered long after the tragedy. They heard strangers in distress and, without a second thought, descended into danger to save them — paying with their lives for the ultimate sacrifice.
